Lad: A Dog byalbert Payson Terhune Lad: A Dog was written by Albert Payson Terhune and published in 1919. It was based on a true story of a collie dog named Lad. In the book Lad lives with his Master and Mistress on a farm called The Place. He is well-loved by the Master and Mistress. The story is sometimes told from Lad s point of view. In the passage below, Master and Mistress have taken Lad to a dog show. They have never been to a show before, and have no idea what to expect. Chapter V. For A Bit of Ribbon Around the ring, at the judge s order, the Novice collies were paraded. Most of them stepped high and fast and carried their heads proudly aloft the thin chokecollars cutting deep into their furry necks. One entered was a harum-scarum puppy who writhed and bit and whirled about in ecstasy of terror. Lad moved solemnly along at the Mistress side. He did not pant or curvet or look showy. He was miserable and every line of his splendid body showed his misery. The Mistress, too, glancing at the more spectacular dogs, wanted to cry not because she was about to lose, but because Lad was about to lose. Her heart ached for him. Again she blamed herself bitterly for bringing him here. McGilead, hands in pockets, stood sucking at an empty brier pipe, and scanning the parade that circled around him. Presently he stepped up to the Mistress, checked her as she filed past him, and said to her with a sort of sorrowful kindness: Please take your dog over to the far end of the ring. Take him into the corner where he won t be in my way while I am judging. Yes, he spoke courteously enough, but the Mistress would rather have had him hit her across the face. Meekly she obeyed his command. Across the ring, to the very farthest corner, she went poor beautiful Lad beside her, disgraced, weeded out of the competition at the very start. There, far out of the contest, she stood, a drooping little figure, feeling as though everyone were sneering at her dear dog s disgrace. Lad seemed to sense her sorrow. For, as he stood beside her, head and tail low, he whined softly and licked her hand as if in encouragement. She ran her fingers along his silky head. Then, to keep from crying, she watched the other contestants. No longer were these parading. One at a time and then in twos, the judge was standing them on the platform. He looked at their teeth. He pressed their heads between his hands. He hefted their hips. He ran his fingers through their coats. He pressed his palm upward against their underbodies. He subjected them to a score of such annoyances, but he did it all with a quick and sure touch that not even the crankiest of them could resent. Then he stepped back and studied the quartet. After that he seemed to remember Lad s presence, and, as though by way of earning his fee, he slouched across the ring to where the forlorn Mistress was petting her dear disgraced dog. Lazily, perfunctorily, the judge ran his hand over Lad, with absolutely none of the thoroughness that had marked his inspection of the other dogs. Apparently there was no need to look for the finer points in a disqualified collie. The sketchy examination did not last three seconds. At its end the judge jotted down a number on a pad he held. Then he laid one hand heavily on Lad s head and curtly thrust out his other hand at the Mistress. Can I take him away now? she asked, still stroking Lad s fur. Yes, rasped the judge, and take this along with him. In his outstretched hand fluttered a little bunch of silk dark blue, with gold lettering on it. The blue ribbon! First prize in the Novice class! And this grouchy little judge was awarding it to Lad!
Part I. Order of Events Understanding Lad: A Dog Place the following actions in the story in the correct order by writing 1 in front of the first thing that happened, 2 in front of the second thing that happened, and so on. A. The judge carefully examined the other dogs. B. The judge sent Mistress and Lad to the corner. C. The judge gave Lad the blue ribbon. D. The Novice collies paraded around the ring. E. The judge examined Lad. F. The Mistress asked the judge if she can take Lad away. Part II. Short Answer Answer each question below. 1. When Lad paraded around the ring he looked. 2. What did Mistress do to keep from crying? 3. What was something the judge look at when he examined the other dogs? 4. How long did the judge s examination of Lad last? 5. When did the Mistress know Lad had won?
Vocabulary in Lad: A Dog I. Vocabulary Match Match each word in Column A with its meaning in Column B Column A Column B 1. curvet A. twisted and squirmed 2. sneering B. quickly; without much thought 3. writhed C. sudden strong feeling 4. hefted D. jump gracefully 5. perfunctorily E. reckless and uncontrolled 6. curtly F. cried softly with unhappiness 7. harum-scarum G. lifted 8. weeded H. abruptly or gruffly 9. ecstasy I. showing scorn or dislike 10. whined J. removed something unwanted or without value Part II. Meaning in Context Below are phrases from the text. Circle the correct meaning of the underlined word. 1. There, far out of the contest, she stood, a drooping little figure... A. small or tiny B. sagging without energy C. far away D. proud; noble 2. Lad moved solemnly along at the Mistress side. A. seriously B. slowly C. happily D. closely 3. The sketchy examination did not last three seconds. A. friendly; easy B. calm; undisturbed C. artistic; creative D. not complete; brief 4. Most of them stepped high and fast and carried their heads proudly aloft. A. in an eager way B. up in the air C. close to the ground D. to one side 5. Meekly she obeyed his command. A. politely; with grace B. proudly; defiant C. humbly; without spirit D. quickly; without delay
Lad: A Dog Supporting Evidence Below is one of the main ideas of the passage. Write three quotations from the passage that support this main idea. The Mistress thought that Lad was not going to win the ribbon.
Point of View in Lad: A Dog In the passage from Lad: A Dog, the story is told from the point of view of the Mistress. The Mistress doesn t expect Lad to win the blue ribbon, so when he does, it is a big surprise. The judge, however, knows much earlier that Lad is going to win. Rewrite the passage from the judge s point of view. What does he think of Lad in the beginning? Why did he examine the other dogs so closely, but only briefly examined Lad? Why did he send Mistress and Lad to the corner?
Lad: a Dog Word Search Circle each word from the list in the puzzle. The words can go in any direction. Q O T A L U B M A R E P N d C I m Z E T I O R r S R A B o D P i V Z N H J R i O Q S A g O D s N B L U E T b H E D A Q K F t O R J K F H b B M P N H N O r B A B T T H o G U T V D S O e U e x a m i n a t i o n O K s L E F E O A Q I M D O R E J s R F I A J E n o v i c e U j Q s h o w R R F N R T L N I L u C N H O c o l l i E O B K P M d G V D P Q W a L S C K K L E F g C G I M T P d N A R M Z S W Q e H T U Y V Z N J U A BLUE DOGS JUDGE MISTRESS RIBBON COLLIE EXAMINATION LAD NOVICE SHOW
Lad: A Dog byalbert Payson Terhune KEY Lad: A Dog was written by Albert Payson Terhune and published in 1919. It was based on a true story of a collie dog named Lad. In the book Lad lives with his Master and Mistress on a farm called The Place. He is well-loved by the Master and Mistress. The story is sometimes told from Lad s point of view. In the passage below, Master and Mistress have taken Lad to a dog show. They have never been to a show before, and have no idea what to expect. Chapter V. For A Bit of Ribbon Around the ring, at the judge s order, the Novice collies were paraded. Most of them stepped high and fast and carried their heads proudly aloft the thin chokecollars cutting deep into their furry necks. One entered was a harum-scarum puppy who writhed and bit and whirled about in ecstasy of terror. Lad moved solemnly along at the Mistress side. He did not pant or curvet or look showy. He was miserable and every line of his splendid body showed his misery. The Mistress, too, glancing at the more spectacular dogs, wanted to cry not because she was about to lose, but because Lad was about to lose. Her heart ached for him. Again she blamed herself bitterly for bringing him here. McGilead, hands in pockets, stood sucking at an empty brier pipe, and scanning the parade that circled around him. Presently he stepped up to the Mistress, checked her as she filed past him, and said to her with a sort of sorrowful kindness: Please take your dog over to the far end of the ring. Take him into the corner where he won t be in my way while I am judging. Yes, he spoke courteously enough, but the Mistress would rather have had him hit her across the face. Meekly she obeyed his command. Across the ring, to the very farthest corner, she went poor beautiful Lad beside her, disgraced, weeded out of the competition at the very start. There, far out of the contest, she stood, a drooping little figure, feeling as though everyone were sneering at her dear dog s disgrace. Lad seemed to sense her sorrow. For, as he stood beside her, head and tail low, he whined softly and licked her hand as if in encouragement. She ran her fingers along his silky head. Then, to keep from crying, she watched the other contestants. No longer were these parading. One at a time and then in twos, the judge was standing them on the platform. He looked at their teeth. He pressed their heads between his hands. He hefted their hips. He ran his fingers through their coats. He pressed his palm upward against their underbodies. He subjected them to a score of such annoyances, but he did it all with a quick and sure touch that not even the crankiest of them could resent. Then he stepped back and studied the quartet. After that he seemed to remember Lad s presence, and, as though by way of earning his fee, he slouched across the ring to where the forlorn Mistress was petting her dear disgraced dog. Lazily, perfunctorily, the judge ran his hand over Lad, with absolutely none of the thoroughness that had marked his inspection of the other dogs. Apparently there was no need to look for the finer points in a disqualified collie. The sketchy examination did not last three seconds. At its end the judge jotted down a number on a pad he held. Then he laid one hand heavily on Lad s head and curtly thrust out his other hand at the Mistress. Can I take him away now? she asked, still stroking Lad s fur. Yes, rasped the judge, and take this along with him. In his outstretched hand fluttered a little bunch of silk dark blue, with gold lettering on it. The blue ribbon! First prize in the Novice class! And this grouchy little judge was awarding it to Lad!
KEY Part I. Order of Events Understanding Lad: A Dog Place the following actions in the story in the correct order by writing 1 in front of the first thing that happened, 2 in front of the second thing that happened, and so on. A. 3 The judge carefully examined the other dogs. B. 2 The judge sent Mistress and Lad to the corner. C. 6 The judge gave Lad the blue ribbon. D. 1 The Novice collies paraded around the ring. E. 4 The judge examined Lad. F. 5 The Mistress asked the judge if she can take Lad away. Part II. Short Answer Answer each question below. Student s answers may vary. Example of correct answers: 1. When Lad paraded around the ring he looked miserable. 2. What did Mistress do to keep from crying? watched the other dogs 3. What was something the judge look at when he examined the other dogs? their teeth 4. How long did the judge s examination of Lad last? less than three seconds 5. When did the Mistress know Lad had won? 5. when she saw the blue ribbon
Vocabulary in Lad: A Dog I. Vocabulary Match Match each word in Column A with its meaning in Column B Column A Column B KEY 1. D curvet A. twisted and squirmed 2. I sneering B. quickly; without much thought 3. A writhed C. sudden strong feeling 4. G hefted D. jump gracefully 5. B perfunctorily E. reckless and uncontrolled 6. H curtly F. cried softly with unhappiness 7. E harum-scarum G. lifted 8. J weeded H. abruptly or gruffly 9. C ecstasy I. showing scorn or dislike 10. F whined J. removed something unwanted or without value Part II. Meaning in Context Below are phrases from the text. Circle the correct meaning of the underlined word. 1. There, far out of the contest, she stood, a drooping little figure... A. small or tiny B. sagging without energy C. far away D. proud; noble 2. Lad moved solemnly along at the Mistress side. A. seriously B. slowly C. happily D. closely 3. The sketchy examination did not last three seconds. A. friendly; easy B. calm; undisturbed C. artistic; creative D. not complete; brief 4. Most of them stepped high and fast and carried their heads proudly aloft. A. in an eager way B. up in the air C. close to the ground D. to one side 5. Meekly she obeyed his command. A. politely; with grace B. proudly; defiant C. humbly; without spirit D. quickly; without delay
KEY Lad: A Dog Supporting Evidence Below is one of the main ideas of the passage. Write three quotations from the passage that support this main idea. The Mistress thought that Lad was not going to win the ribbon. Student s answers may vary. Example of correct answers:...but because Lad was about to lose......lad beside her, disgraced, weeded out of the competition at the very start. Apparently there was no need to look for the finer points in a disqualified collie.
KEY Point of View in Lad: A Dog In the passage from Lad: A Dog, the story is told from the point of view of the Mistress. The Mistress doesn t expect Lad to win the blue ribbon, so when he does, it is a big surprise. The judge, however, knows much earlier that Lad is going to win. Rewrite the passage from the judge s point of view. What does he think of Lad in the beginning? Why did he examine the other dogs so closely, but only briefly examined Lad? Why did he send Mistress and Lad to the corner? Student s answers will vary.
KEY Lad: a Dog Word Search Circle each word from the list in the puzzle. The words can go in any direction. Q O T A L U B M A R E P N d C I m Z E T I O R r S R A B o D P i V Z N H J R i O Q S A g O D s N B L U E T b H E D A s K F t O R J K F H b B M P N H N O r B A B T T H o G U T V D S O e U e x a m i n a t i o n O K s L E F E O A Q I M D O R E J s R F I A J E n o v i c e U j Q s h o w R R F N R T L N I L u C N H O c o l l i E O B K P M d G V D P Q W a L S C K K L E F g C G I M T P d N A R M Z S W Q e H T U Y V Z N J U A BLUE DOGS JUDGE MISTRESS RIBBON COLLIE EXAMINATION LAD NOVICE SHOW